Calvin News

Evie Tenhaaf ’30 is from Grand Rapids, Michigan. She’s a graduate of South Christian High School and Calvin was among her top three college choices. After visiting all three, Tenhaf said Calvin rose to the top. 
 
Knowing she would be commuting her first year, Tenhaaf, who is planning to major in secondary education with a focus in English, was looking for a way to get more connected and integrated into the campus and to become more aware of the resources available to her. Through the Entrada Scholars Program, she discovered just that.

Before coming to Entrada, I felt …

Nervous, excited

After coming to Entrada, I feel …

Excited and better prepared

What’s been your greatest takeaway from this Entrada experience?

The amount of resources that are available to me. I am a first-generation student. I’ve had siblings who went to college, but my parents didn’t. So, I’m just going in a little bit more blind than other people and I think that this experience has really taught me that here there are a lot of people who are willing and ready to support me.

What surprised you about this experience?

I was pleasantly surprised with the amount of free time that we got and the amount of trust that they put in us to just do our own thing and be responsible about it. I don’t love it when everything is structured down to the minute every day and I liked that we could just go off with our group of friends and do whatever, like play volleyball or go to the pool or do whatever we wanted to do.

Coming from a Christian high school, how was Calvin different?

I think personally it’s been really different so far. The teaching style that we got exposed to – we had done discussions before in high school – but here every day we had a discussion in class, and I really loved that and appreciated that.

How would you have felt if you had not had done Entrada?

I think I would have been a bit more anxious about my friendships ... I think this has really taught me how I need to go about making new friends. And it’s nice that there’s an already built in safety net.

How did this experience confirm your decision to come to Calvin?

I would say definitely the community has been a big piece, the faith being woven into everything, and the resources are huge.